Cory Chase is newest member of WSD Board

Cory Chase grew up in a family where volunteering was the norm. His father served on a School Board, and now Chase is following in his footsteps.

Chase, 42, was named to the Washougal School Board last week, succeeding Karen Rubino for position 4.

She resigned in September after accepting a job in Seattle.

His term will expire Dec. 31, 2017, and he plans to run for election at that time.

“I always saw (serving on the School Board) as an opportunity to give back and impact our community in a positive way,” he said. “I strongly believe it is important to the future of a community to provide a solid educational foundation for the kids.”

Chase moved to Washougal with his wife, Jacquelyn, nearly five years ago.

“We wanted to find a place to raise our kids that has a good school system and strong sense of community,” he said. “We made Washougal our home because we found both of those things in this community. I am honored to be selected to the school board and I look forward to serving our community.”

He continued, “My kids have had a wonderful learning experience here and I see this as an opportunity to help continue that experience for our community.”

Chase is father to a fifth-grader at Gause Elementary and a seventh-grader at Jemtegaard Middle School. He is a lieutenant with the Port of Portland Police Department, and has experience in union contract negotiations, as well as public finance.

“I have several years of experience coaching youth sports and volunteering in the schools,” he said. “In my professional life, I have experience working for the public and school staff. I have worked in different leadership roles in public organizations that function very similar to a school district, and am responsible for labor relations and administering collective bargaining agreements, writing policy and procedure, and managing complex situations that often involve a multi-disciplinary team. All of these experiences will help me support the collective work of the School Board.”

During his time on the board, Chase hopes to continue moving the School District forward in a positive direction.

“The board members, school administration, and school staffs have all done an excellent job improving the schools in recent years,” he said. “I will continue to work with the team to improve graduation rates and develop learning environments that are both challenging and relevant to each child’s future.”

He noted that construction of three schools is well under way, and he would like to make sure the construction continues on time and within the budget.

“I know the community is looking forward to transitioning into the new schools next year,” Chase said. “It is an exciting time for our district.”

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